Department of Commerce, Government of India and Directorate General of Foreign Trade(DGFT) have undertaken to monitor the status of exports and imports, and difficulties being faced by trade stakeholders in view of the surge of COVID-19 cases. DGFT has accordingly operationalised a ‘COVID-19 Helpdesk' to support and seek suitable resolutions to issues arising in respect of International Trade.

This 'COVID-19 Helpdesk' would look into issues relating to Department of Commerce/DGFT, Import and Export Licensing Issues, Customs clearance delays and complexities arising thereon, Import/Export documentation issues, Banking matters etc. Helpdesk would also collect and collate trade related issues concerning other Ministries/Departments/Agencies of Central Government and State Governments and will co-ordinate to seek their support and provide possible resolution(s).

All stakeholders, particularly the Exporters and Importers, may submit information on the DGFT website and submit information relating to their issues on which support is required using the following steps-

(i) Navigate to the DGFT Website (https://dgft.gov.in) → Services → DGFT → Helpdesk Service

(ii) ‘Create New Request’ and select the Category as ‘Covid-19'

(iii) Select the suitable sub-category, enter the other relevant details and submit.

Alternatively, One can send their issues to email id: [email protected] with the subject header: Covid-19 Helpdesk or call at Toll Free No 1800-111-550

The status of resolutions and feedback may be tracked using the Status tracker under the DGFT Helpdesk Services. Email and SMS would also be sent as and when the status of these tickets are updated.

Related Trade Notice : Trade Notice No. 02/2021-2022

COVID-19 Helpdesk for international trade provides a central mechanism to report, coordinate and track export/import issue resolutions. A COVID-19 Helpdesk has been established to receive and coordinate resolution of international trade problems-covering import/export licensing, customs clearance delays, documentation and banking matters-by collecting stakeholder reports, liaising with relevant central and state agencies, and providing tracking of case status via the DGFT Helpdesk portal, email or toll-free phone with updates by status tracker, email and SMS.